A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE DAILY TEXAN | TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018 | THEDAILYTEXAN.COM
DT
ONE YEAR
LATER FIRST RESPONDERS
PRESS CONFERENCE
LORI BROWN
Three officers who first responded to the attack discuss the incident and its impact on their lives.
UT takes steps to increase safety on campus, including partnering with Stop the Bleed.
Lori Brown hopes to make UT’s campus safer through legislation and adding campus metal detectors.
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IRIS BILICH | THE DAILY TEXAN STAFF
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TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018
May 1, 2017: Campus remembers
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Victims will be honored in two memorial ceremonies
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A year ago today, as students were starting their last week of classes, UT was suddenly robbed of its sense of security. Three people were injured and one was killed in an on-campus stabbing that tore through what had been a calm Monday afternoon. Before 2 p.m. that day, the main concern for students was cramming for finals and trying to find an empty seat in the PCL, not fearing for their lives.
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By Brianna Stone @bristone19
Exactly one year after UT freshman Harrison Brown was fatally stabbed on campus, Brown’s girlfriend and friend reflect on their experiences that tragic day and honor his memory. “That day is the worst day of my life,” said Avery Robinson, who was Brown’s girlfriend of two years at the time of his death. Robinson and Brown were from
the same small town of Graham, Texas, and met the summer after Robinson graduated high school. “That summer my parents forced me to get a job at Domino’s, and every day this guy would come, buy pizza and leave me like a $7 tip,” said Robinson, public relations junior. “Apparently Harrison would go home every day and tell his dad to give him money to buy pizza because there was a ‘super hot girl’ who worked there.” Robinson said Brown was a genuinely kind person to everyone. “He was such a nice person and
UTPD officers recount their experiences at the scene
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anthony mireles | the daily texan staff One year ago today, Officer Eric Park was the first responder that apprehended Kendrex White at the Jester Dormitory after he fatally stabbed Harrison Brown and wounded three other students. For his actions on May 1, 2017, Officer Park was awarded the Medal of Valor by the UTPD.
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UT police officer Eric Park was headed to the Main Mall in his patrol car when he heard screams from a scene that would change the trajectory of his day and several lives. “I was driving up 21st towards Speedway,” Park said. “I had my windows down and I heard the screams. When I pulled up around on Speedway in front of Gregory Gym, I saw one student who was seated at one of the tables with another student applying pressure to the wound on his neck, and somebody else standing there yelled, ‘There’s a guy with a knife stabbing people.’” Park was one of many UT Police Department officers going to UT’s Main Mall to monitor an International Worker’s Day protest on May 1, 2017. First reports of a man stabbing people on campus came in around a little before 2 p.m., according to UTPD. One of the first officers on the scene, Park apprehended suspect Kendrex White near the entrance of Jester Dormitory. White, then a biology junior, had wounded three students and fatally stabbed freshman Harrison Brown. Along with Park, UTPD detective David Chambers and UTPD sergeant Adan Zavala were among the first responders on the scene. All three men have coped with last May’s events in their own ways. “We all bounced back and we were all here the next day,” Chambers said. “But it’s one of those things that takes us time to heal (from), just like it takes everyone else time.” Chambers, who was a patrol officer when he helped Park apprehend White last year, said the scene on Speedway looked completely abnormal. “The one thing I remember is seeing shoes (on) Speedway Plaza, and it dawned on me that people were so scared they were running out of their shoes,” Chambers said. “It was just one of those eerie kind of feelings.” When Zavala arrived on scene, he immediately went to the front of Gregory Gym where he found a building manager applying pressure to Brown’s stab wound. “(The wound) was huge, like two to three inches long, over to where your heart is at,” said Zavala, who was recently appointed sergeant at the time of the stabbings. “With the little medical training that we (got), it didn’t prepare me for that.” Once Zavala realized Brown was choking on his blood and had stopped breathing, he and another
officer laid Brown down and administered CPR. Zavala alerted an officer to tell Emergency Medical Services to make Brown their priority when they arrived. Chambers eventually joined Zavala and they alternated administering CPR. The Austin Fire Department eventually arrived with additional medical gear and took over for Zavala and Chambers. Zavala said the days following the stabbing were difficult, especially wrestling with people second guessing the actions he took. “(Brown) wasn’t dead when I got there,” Zavala said. “He was still breathing. I wasn’t going to let him die without attempting to help him. In my mind, if it was my kid or a family member I knew, I would want anybody to do anything they could do.” Zavala said he has finally made peace with himself following the events of that day. “It doesn’t really bother me now,” Zavala said. “I’ve dealt with my feelings and thoughts about it, and I’ve gone to counseling since then, but at first it really bothered me.” Park said his emotions took time to catch up to him. Park had previously worked in the homicide and violent crimes unit for the Brownsville Police Department and worked as a state trooper. “Once (White) was in custody and we had everything finished, that evening is when it all starts (to hit) you,” Park said. “It brought back a lot of the old stuff from what I had gone through, and I had to decompress so that I didn’t go back into (post-traumatic stress disorder).” Park said the event also affected his wife. “Having been married to me the whole time I was a police officer, she too had a certain amount of PTSD from the past, so I had to let her vent and let her get all that out,” Park said. “It doesn’t just affect you as an officer, it affects your family as well.” Despite the preconceived notions people may have about UTPD, Chambers said May 1 undoubtedly affected UTPD officers emotionally. “A lot of people think of us as campus cops, (that we) don’t really care about anything, but we really do,” Chambers said. “Seeing this happen to the people we are charged with protecting … hurts us.” Reflecting on last year’s stabbings, Park said he doesn’t regret showing emotion. “If there’s no tears in police work, you’re doing it wrong,” Park said. “That’s really how I feel because if you don’t care about (people), there’s no point in this job.”
On May 1, 2017, Becker said he was at a meeting with UT administrators and student leaders when they heard about the stabbings on campus. “We were meeting about the Be Safe campaign,” Becker said. “We were literally meeting about ways to keep campus safer when it happened.” At the same time, Robinson said she was walking home after class when she saw a ton of police cars speed by her.
MEMORY page 3
CRIME
Trial details of stabbing suspect Kendrex White By Allyson Waller
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was always happy and in the best mood,” Robinson said. “He was super energetic and always singing.” After going to a private college, Robinson transferred to UT in spring of 2017, the same semester Brown would be killed. Nutrition senior Colton Becker was also close with Brown, considering him a mentee and friend because of their common interests. “He reminded me a lot of myself, and I wanted to take him under my wing,” Becker said. “Harrison was such a beautiful and special person.”
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forefront of conversations on increasing campus safety in the year since. For this issue, The Daily Texan is looking back at what happened on May 1, 2017. Our writers spoke to Harrison’s mother Lori, his friends, the first responders on the scene and the University to see what it has done to improve campus safety in the past year. Two memorials will be held today in honor of Harrison and the three others injured last year. The first is at 1 p.m. at the corner of 21st Street and Speedway, and the second is at 8 p.m. at the Tower.
Harrison Brown’s girlfriend, friend keep him alive in memory
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potential bomb threat at the Moody College of Communication while rumors circled of a second stabbing in West Campus and of mysterious assailants targeting members of Greek life. With little information available, these rumors were amplified on social media as students struggled to figure out what was and wasn’t true. Some even wondered if it was safe to leave their homes. But the bomb threat was soon cleared, and APD said on social media that the rumors in West Campus were not credible. The stabbing has also been at the
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Copy Editors Cuillin Chastain-Howley, Brittany Miller, Arianna Flores
The stabbing happened near the intersection of 21st Street and Speedway, and the student who died, Harrison Brown, was an undergraduate studies freshman from North Texas. The UT Police Department received the first reports of an individual assaulting students with a Bowie-style hunting knife at 1:46 p.m. Two minutes later, a suspect, later identified as biology junior Kendrex White, was arrested. Just hours later, still rattled by the stabbing, the UT community descended into hysteria as UTPD investigated a
By Chase Karacostas
May 1, 2017 1:45 PM The UT Police Department receive reports of an individual assaulting others with a knife on the 200 block of East 21st Street, across the street from Speedway and San Jacinto. UTPD officers are on the scene within two minutes. Biology junior Kendrex J. White is taken into custody. May 1, 2017 5:00 PM University officials hold a press conference and confirm the stabbing suspect as biology junior Kendrex J. White. May 1, 2017 6:57 PM Graham Independent School District confirms the death of UT freshman Harrison Brown in the stabbing.
July 17, 2017 White is indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault.
March 15, 2018 State prosecutors appoint a psychiatrist to assess the mental state of White. Brown’s family also appears in court.
@allyson_renee7
May 3, 2017 An affidavit is filed that states White told police he did not remember the attacks. May 18, 2017 White makes his first appearance in court. State prosecutors file three motions to examine White’s mental health to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
May 24, 2017 At another hearing, a district judge orders White’s defense to respond to several motions filed by the prosecution by June 2, 2017. The motions relate to punishment and deal with White’s sanity. June 9, 2017 During a pretrial hearing, a district judge rules White will not undergo insanity tests yet.
September 22, 2017 The judge for White’s case denies the prosecutor’s second request for a mental health evaluation of White.
May 8, 2018 A pretrial hearing is scheduled for White. No trial date has been set.
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TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018
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juan figueroa | the daily texan staff A year since an on-campus stabbing killed UT freshman Harrison Brown, his mother, Lori Brown, is advocating to improve campus safety and change Texas law.
Lori Brown fights for safer UT in son’s honor With ‘nothing left to lose,’ Lori takes safety goals to Legislature. By Chase Karacostas & Maria Mendez @chasekaracostas @mellow_maria
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alking on campus in April, Lori Brown remembered her son Harrison Brown’s first year at UT. “Harrison had a moped down here,” Lori said with a laugh in the AT&T Center parking lot. “He had a fun time with that down here, but he did have a couple of parking tickets.” Lori once saw the 40 Acres as a source of pride. Since Harrison’s death, she only returns for meetings with the University or state officials. “Every time I come back to the campus it’s very hard, and with each time it’s even worse because the anniversary is so close,” Lori said. Lori still doesn’t understand how her son could have died at UT, but she has made it her mission to make the campus safer. “I never dreamed that he would be attacked and his life would be taken on the college campus, in broad daylight,” Lori said. Lori had just finished talking to Harrison on May 1, 2017, when minutes later she
received a second call from his phone. This time the caller was a stranger telling her Harrison had been stabbed. Amid the chaos of the news, Lori raced to the airport where a friend flew her to Austin. “I still was hoping I was going to go see him,” Lori said. But she was met at the hospital by her sister-in-law, who told her Harrison had already died. Lori faced the news without her husband, who was battling a neurodegenerative disease and unable to travel. And her older son was taking a law school final in San Antonio. “It was very tough, very traumatic,” Lori said.
Advocating for campus safety
Lori had always planned to advocate for Harrison, but she spent the last year coping with the deaths of Harrison and her husband, who died last June from complications related to his disease. But then Lori heard about the Parkland shooting. “I didn’t watch any of that footage,” Lori said. “I turned it off because I know all too well what that phone call is like.” Days later, she was inspired by students on TV calling for increased campus safety. “I stopped for a second and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to be doing something for Harrison right now,’” Lori said. “I’ve just moved forward ever since.”
The day Harrison was killed, the state legislature was set to discuss House Bill 1935, which allows people to openly carry knives almost anywhere in Texas. As news of the stabbing spread, the legislature tabled the bill. It was still passed the following week. “Knowing that somebody had just died by a knife does make one pause and reevaluate (the bill) and make sure nothing you’re doing will promote that type of thing,” said State Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, one of the bill’s authors. “We came back with the understanding it wouldn’t.” In response to the stabbing, the legislature added an amendment banning the open-carry of knives on college campuses. But Lori said she would like to see the bill weakened or repealed. “I was so sad and disappointed when I heard (of the bill’s passing) because I thought it didn’t matter to them that my son was just murdered on a college campus by one of these knives,” Lori said. Lori said Springer told her he disagrees with repealing HB 1935, but she plans to speak with more state officials to see what can be done in the coming 2019 legislative session. In the meantime, Lori has met with University officials. She said she appreciates the safety improvements that have been implemented but wants to see more UT Police Department officers patrolling and more
metal detectors throughout campus. “I really do believe if there had been a metal detector that day, possibly my son’s life would have been spared … because that knife would have been confiscated,” Lori said. The University uses metal detectors in “high-traffic” or “high-risk” areas such as the Frank Erwin Center and observation deck of the Tower. Jimmy Johnson, assistant vice president for campus safety, said adding more detectors around campus would require a huge investment and changes to building entrances, so they have focused on “strategic” placement of surveillance equipment. “Being strategic allows us to harden security for high-risk areas while maintaining the open and welcoming environment public university strive to achieve,” Johnson said in a statement. Lori knows changing Texas law or the UT campus will not be easy, but she’s determined to do something. “I’m not going to take no for an answer, and I have nothing to lose,” Lori said. Lori will not be on campus today for Harrison’s memorial, but she said she plans to attend UT Remembers this Friday. “There’s really no preparing (for the anniversary),” Lori said. “I’m just going to have to deal with it the best way that I can. But it just won’t be this year, it’ll be every year for the rest of my life on May 1.”
UNIVERSITY
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“Nobody knew what was happening at that point,” Robinson said. “A girl beside me started running and said, ‘Go, run, run! There’s someone stabbing people on campus!’” Robinson said she immediately ran home and overheard her roommate say Brown was dead. “I just passed out on the ground,” Robinson said. “I called him — no answer. I called him again — no answer. I called him again — no answer.” Robinson said she soon received a call from Brown’s sister-in-law telling her to go to the hospital. “Some of Harrison’s family was at the hospital and they
didn’t know he was dead, they just heard he was stabbed,” Robinson said. “They still had hope and were trying to find him and talk to him. The hospital staff couldn’t tell them anything until his mom arrived. After she arrived, they said he had died on scene.” Becker too was at the hospital with Robinson and Brown’s family when they received the official news about his death. Robinson said she considered not returning to UT, but didn’t believe that was what Brown would have wanted. “I didn’t want this horrible thing to affect my life, dreams or goals any more than it already did,” Robinson said. “I didn’t want it to take away me being able to graduate. I didn’t want it to have that
horrible power over me and I knew Harrison wouldn’t want to me to just quit. I decided to stay here and push through.” Becker said that summer he and Robinson created a painting of Brown for his mother. He said he wanted to keep Brown’s memory alive. “It’s a very sad time but it’s a good reason to find joy in the life Harrison lived,” Becker said. “I don’t want us to forget, I want us to remember him.” Robinson now wears a watch that belonged to Brown. “I got it for Harrison and he was wearing it when he died,” Robinson said, smiling at the watch on her wrist. “I have never been in love with anyone but Harry. I love him so much and still love him to this day.”
UT emphasizes need for first aid assistance one year after stabbings By Anna Lassman @annalassman
In the year since the on-campus stabbing attack that killed UT freshman Harrison Brown and left three students injured, the University has made efforts to improve campus safety. The Texas Department of Public Safety released recommendations following the 2016 murder of dance freshman Haruka Weiser, including increasing UT Police Department officer presence, enhancing security cameras and increasing lighting. The 2017 stabbings reaffirmed the need for these changes and for first aid assistance on campus, said Jimmy Johnson, assistant vice president of campus safety, in a statement. “The University has really taken great strides in doing a variety of things,” Johnson said. “As we’ve looked at the incidents that have happened on campus, we want to ensure that we have a feeling of safety amongst our campus constituents.” In the past year, UT has begun equipping building entrances with kits that include automated external defibrillators and Stop the Bleed kits. Stop the Bleed is a national campaign to equip people to help in a bleeding emergency before professionals arrive. UT has partnered with the Stop the Bleed campaign to conduct on-campus training with a goal to train 5,000 members of the UT community by the end of the year. “I think (Stop the Bleed is) something that’s really very important,” Johnson said. “As we’ve talked with the Browns and some of our organizations on campus, there was the feeling that people didn’t know what
juan figueroa | the daily texan staff UTPD Chief David Carter answers questions about campus safety at a press conference Monday afternoon. Carter and Jimmy Johnson, assistant vice president of campus safety, spoke about efforts to increase campus security one year since the on-campus stabbing. to do. We want to provide that information.” Along with increased first aid assistance, UT wants to emphasize the “Call 911 Anytime You Feel Unsafe” message of the Be Safe campaign. “Our students are engaged, and they are reporting things,” UTPD Chief David Carter said. “A couple of years ago, one of the things of concern that we had at UTPD was hearing about incidents anecdotally. The one thing that I can tell you has changed is that students, faculty and staff are actually calling us when there is something that doesn’t look right.” UT also hired a communications director who solely oversees UTPD to improve communication and engagement with the University community. “One of the things that we heard from last year was that our police officers responded to the tragedy in less than 90 seconds and had the offender in custody, but we were very slow on our communication out of the police department,” Carter said. “We spent a lot of
time and energy on the issue of communications and having a good method to communicate with our community, and that continues to evolve and continues to improve.” Joell McNew serves as vice president of SafeHorns, a nonprofit coalition of parents and community members trying to improve safety and security conditions at UT. McNew said the partnership with Stop the Bleed and increased first aid is a good step, but more needs to be done. McNew said she would like to see more patrol officers in busy campus areas such as Speedway, a parental opt-in option for safety alerts and the incorporation of Longhorn EMS, a student organization of trained emergency medical technicians. “I feel like the list (of safety changes) is somewhat similar to Haruka’s, except for (adding) Stop the Bleed,” McNew said. “There’s still room for improvement and we really wish that UT would listen to feedback.”
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LAURA HALLAS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TEXANOPINION
TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018
COLUMN
Students have power in UT’s composting efforts By William Kosinski @willkosinski
columnist
The University of Texas at Austin’s goal of diverting 90 percent of waste from landfills faces increasing pressure as we approach the 2020 deadline. Forty-five percent of the campus’ 9,000 tons of waste is compostable material, but less than one-third of that waste is properly disposed, according to Robert Moddrell, resource recovery manager. The rest that is thrown to landfills breaks down to create harmful methane gas that negatively contributes to climate change. Though each action is minute, students have a variety of ways both on and off campus to assist the University’s composting efforts and curb greenhouse gas emissions. The University currently uses third parties to compost organic waste, so when a certain amount of non-compostable items “contaminate” a bag, that whole bag is thrown away to a landfill where it will release methane. Moddrell said the culprit of contamination is excess packaging. To prevent tons of compostable material from being contaminated, students can start with less wasteful purchase decisions on campus. For example, Moddrell explained how bags from restaurants on campus encourage students to put their waste — compostable, recyclable, or otherwise — in one bag that is then put in the trash. A strong first step for students to help compost on campus is to
abstain from single-use bags, cups and utensils. This would not only increase the likelihood of properly separating compostable waste but would also decrease the total amount of waste produced. We constantly hear the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle” around sustainability efforts, and there is good reason “reduce” is the first in the list. “There are so many things that we buy everyday that we didn’t need to buy,” Moddrell said. From cups to food containers, student use of reusable items will also make composting more effective on campus. Composting in an on-campus dorm may seem troublesome, but it is far from impossible. Every student living on campus has a freezer well-equipped for composting. There is no smell, and the process is simple: Place a large tupperware container in the freezer, place any organic waste in it and then empty it when necessary. The compost bins around Jester Dormitory and the Unions are convenient places to dump a night’s worth of coffee grounds if the freezer space is occupied by a pint of ice cream. Similar methods can be used for off-campus residents, too. Many apartments and houses have outdoor spaces where a larger compost bin can be placed for excess food waste. A larger bin would reduce the number of trips to the handful of downtown locations that accept compost. Other opportunities to increase UT’s composting are everywhere. Last week, my RA hosted an end-of-the-year dinner party where she catered food and provided plates, utensils and napkins. There was only one container for the waste we were going to produce, so I asked
sian rips | the daily texan staff the other RA on my floor to grab two more large paper bags for recycling and compost. I hauled each bag down to the bins in Jester City Limits after I made sure the recyclable containers, the compostable waste, napkins, plates and the non-reusable utensils were all separated. I felt uncomfortable in my “extra” efforts as questioning eyes watched me write titles on each bag. Over the course of the dinner though,
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I saw friends asking one another where to toss everything they did not devour. Talk to friends about composting. Awareness will be the most important tool for the University’s composting efforts. Any number of bins serve no purpose when students do not know what they are for. Kosinski is a journalism freshman from San Rafael, California
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In arguments, leave school pride out of the equation By Rachel Freeman @rachel_frmn
columnist
melanie westfall | the daily texan staff
A tested guide to finding happiness, yourself By Tarek Zaher @ tarek_zaher
columnist
We’re all limited, in some way or another, by our biology. Try to fly without any external exosuits or vehicles. You can’t. Your biology, for better or worse, confines you to the life of the unwinged Homo sapien. The biological aspect makes sense, but what might be harder to grasp is that this is also true for certain aspects of your personality and temperament. Who we are, what we feel and what will ultimately make us happy is, in no small part, determined by our pre-written human nature. On the one hand, knowledge of this nature offers a route to greater happiness and fulfillment in our work, studies and relationships. On the other hand, ignorance of it can lead to the psychological equivalent of jumping off a roof believing you can fly. It opens you up to all kinds of problems, such as wasting money and time on things you mistakenly think will make you happy, choosing the wrong partner or choosing a career you’re unsatisfied in. Luckily, there are a lot of resources in the world to help you figure this out. Socrates himself said, “Know thyself, for once we know ourselves, we may learn how to care for ourselves.” Reading the answers great philosophers and scientists gave to this impetus may help you find the right questions to ask. But if you’re looking for a more convenient route, well-established personality tests — and not the Buzzfeed kind — offer a quick and easy lens to understand yourself through. Want to know whether that girl you’ve been crushing on in lab all semester is right for you? Psychologists at UT have developed the BLIRT personality test which can help
you determine who is best for you romantically. The scientifically supported test is free and takes about 15 minutes to complete. It essentially tells you how forthright and communicative with your internal feelings you are compared to the population. And it seems to work — studies showed that couples who are similar in this BLIRT trait of expressiveness are more likely to be satisfied together. Or maybe it’s your career path that needs some guidance. UT’s Vick Center for Strategic Advising and Career Counseling offers Myers-Briggs personality tests to help you generate career ideas that fit with your personality. After taking the test online, they recommend that you meet with a career counselor and take an interpretation workshop to help you understand the results. It’s a minor time commitment — about 30 minutes — but the quality of the information it gives is not the best. There are numerous criticisms of the Myers-Briggs personality test because it functions on an oversimplified view of human personality. That’s why the Vick Center suggests students meet with their career counselors and attend the interpretation workshops after taking the test. The test can help provide a foundation though, and sometimes all we need is a place to start our research. In the end, each of these methods is secondary to your own self-introspection. If you don’t know what makes you truly happy, don’t panic — there’s a guide. Self-knowledge about what partner, career and lifestyle you are likely to enjoy is the best possible guide for your future actions. And with all the resources at your disposal, knowing yourself can be as easy as a 15-minute personality test. Zaher is a government and European sophomore from Hudson.
Recent debate over Student Government singing “The Eyes of Texas” at their weekly meetings reflects a larger problem on campus. Some students are now trying to question other Longhorns’ school pride as a argumentative device instead of focusing on real policy debates. Conversations about school policy — from singing school songs to changing degree requirements — should focus on the merits of the argument, not personal attacks. Bringing up questions of school pride distracts from valid points. Instead, Longhorns should focus on making their arguments more persuasive, not their attacks more insulting. UT has always been home to passionate students who have a desire to make campus a better place. However, with more than 50,000 students there are plenty of differing opinions about how to make the campus and UT better. While disagreements are natural, Longhorns should make sure to remain respectful of each other. Government junior Jacob Morton can see this problem in his daily life on campus. “I have conservative friends who poke at UT for some of their policies, but they’re still proud to be Longhorns,” Morton said. “They still throw the hook ‘em up and want to see us beat OU. Just because they don’t agree with every policy position at UT doesn’t mean they don’t love their university.” I have heard other students question other Longhorns’ school pride when they have a difference of opinion, in particular when talking about confederate statues allusions on campus and SG campaigns. There’s no
stipulation that students have to support their school, but many students do take pride in being a Longhorn and questioning their loyalty is pretty offensive. Computer science senior Abhilash Chilakamarthi agreed he would be offended if someone used his loyalty to UT as an argument against his opinion. “I’d feel like the other person didn’t really respect my point of view or regard it as worthwhile,” said Chilakamarthi. When someone advocates for a policy change, that implies they care about the policy and the people who are affected by it. For specific UT policies the people affected by it are primarily the faculty, staff and students within this institution. Students trying to change policy to help the University improve — however they define improvement — are showing that they have a love for the University as a whole. Reasonable people can disagree about what needs to change to make this university better, but people on both sides should recognize that a difference of opinion doesn’t equate to a lack of good intentions. Students should focus on having productive discussions instead of allowing debates to dissolve into insults and personal attacks. The University has plenty of problems that need to be solved, and we have no time to waste on rude and, frankly, irrelevant topics. If an argument must be supplemented by inflammatory language, then it’s probably a weak argument. Longhorns should focus on creating and articulating arguments that are convincing on their own without demeaning their opposition. We need to recognize, at the end of the day, most of us just want to work to improve campus and beat the hell out of OU. Freeman is a international relations and global studies junior from Cedar Park.
GALLERY
“If you don’t know what makes you truly happy, don’t panic — there’s a guide.”
LEGALESE | Opinions expressed in The Daily Texan are those of the editor, the Editorial Board or the writer of the article. They are not necessarily those of the UT administration, the Board of Regents or the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees.
SUBMIT A FIRING LINE | Email your Firing Lines to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.
yulissa chavez | the daily texan staff
RECYCLE | Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan. Place the paper in one of the recycling bins on campus or back in the burnt-orange newsstand where you found it. EDITORIAL TWITTER | Follow The Daily Texan Editorial Board on Twitter (@TexanOpinion) and receive updates on our latest editorials and columns.
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TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018
MUSIC
Levitation Fest Popular psychedelic music festival returns after two-year hiatus. By Ruben Paquian @rubenpaq
Back from the brink of extinction following a last-minute cancellation in 2016 and a year off in 2017, Austin’s psychedelic music festival, Levitation, returned April 26 through 29 with a whole new festival format. Historically held at Carson Ranch, this year’s festival featured a multiple-venue format, with shows taking place around the Red River music district. Festival organizers said the change comes as an attempt to better collaborate with the city’s music scene and as a way to minimize the financial risks associated with a traditional festival format while exhibiting the talents of artists such as Ty Segall, DIIV
TOP LEFT: Singer Lindsey Mackin performed with her band Annabelle Chairlegs on Sunday afternoon during Levitation Fest 2018. angela wang | the daily texan staff
and Thee Oh Sees. Katelyn Santos, an Avenue Five Institute student, has attended Levitation since 2015. Santos said while the venue festival format isn’t the same as the outdoor, she is just happy the festival is still here. Following the death of larger Austin festivals such as Sound on Sound and Fun Fun Fun, she said it’s a relief Levitation pulled through this year. “To see it transform was interesting,” Santos said. “At least they are (continuing) it compared to just dropping it. Some of the other festivals in Austin have dropped off, and I feel like it’s one of those things where it thrives in the right kind of situation. You see … all these shows have sold out, so (it’s) obvious that there is a need for that. It’s cool to see it come together.”
L E FT: Multi-instrumentalist Josh Lambert plays the drums during a performance with Austin-based The Octopus Project on Saturday night at Empire Garage. angela wang | the daily texan staff
BOT T O M
MOVIE REVIEW | ‘CANDY JAR’
copyright netflix, and reproduced with permission A Netflix original ‘Candy Jar’ takes its name from the candy jars in guidance counselor Kathy’s office.
Netflix Original movie ‘Candy Jar’ offers a sweet treat during sour times By Brooke Sjoberg @SJ0B3RG
Ben Shelton’s Netflix Original “Candy Jar” is a sweet addition to the teen film genre, a fanciful examination of the modern education system and its effect on the social adjustment of its students. “Candy Jar” thrusts the audience into the high school senior year struggle of debate co-presidents Lona (Sami Gayle) and Bennett (Jacob Latimore) in their perpetual competition with one another as they apply for Ivy League colleges. Lona’s mother Amy (Christina Hendricks) and Bennett’s mother Julia (Uzo Aduba), constantly push them to beat each other, living out their rivalry vicariously through their children. As Lona and Bennett constantly try to one-up each other, they realize their relationship may not only be described as competitive. The screenplay creates a dialogue about the value of time spent in high school and the cost of higher education from a viewpoint rarely explored: the
students of preparatory schools. Shelton drops us into the conflict between Lona and Bennett as they try to convince Principal Nelson (Tom Bergeron) to choose one of them as president of the debate club at their prestigious prep school. The tension between Lona and Bennett extends beyond their professional relationship as debaters and is fueled by their parents’ dislike for each other. The inspiration for their struggle is clear after a lecture where Lona and Bennett passive aggressively battle each other. While this occurs, a teacher discusses the formulaic nature of Romeo and Juliet-esque romances. This critique of teen romance is not unique, but the parallels drawn between the two stories aid in our understanding the conflict between the parents of Lona and Bennett. The students participating in debate speak in a robotic, technically oriented manner, whereas their motivations behind participating in such extremely rigid behaviors are given a prominent platform for the audience to deconstruct and analyze. Lona
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claims she can speak at 400 words per minute, and Bennett justifies this as being necessary to include as many points as possible in their debate in order to throw off their competition. Their extreme pursuit for superiority in debate reflects their upbringing in an environment that pushes them to succeed. Julia often accuses Bennett of focusing too little on his education, while Amy actually tells Lona she focuses too much on it. Lona and Bennett are being forced to pack away their youth by either their peers or their parents, to put away childish things far sooner than they should be. The movie gets less realistic when Lona and Bennett are genuinely challenged by Washington High debaters Jasmine (Antonia Gentry) and Dana (Ariana Guerra), who speak slowly and use emotional anecdotes to argue about the apparent worthlessness of higher education to disadvantaged youth. The juxtaposition of the two debating styles suggests that human connection is ultimately worth more than sacrificing participation in a social community.
CANDY JAR RUNNING TIME: 92 mins MPAA RATING: TV-14 SCORE: The film is funny enough in its references to Julia’s relationship to former president Barack Obama and the ludicrous number of candy jars which line the walls of guidance counselor Kathy (Helen Hunt). The comedic efforts are enhanced by Christina Hendricks’ performance as Amy, where the rivalry between herself and Julia meanders from friendly to vindictive. A thoroughly engaging emblem of the issues facing high school students about to be released into the wild world, “Candy Jar” hits the sweet spot between angsty teen drama and a protest sign at a rally for the rising cost of education. The film will apply to high schoolers and college students alike, as we are all subject to the decreasing affordability of college.
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TRENTON DAESCHNER
SPORTS EDITOR @TEXANSPORTS
TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018
N FL DR A FT FE ATU R E
Connor Williams
katie bauer | daily texan staff Connor Williams speaks with the media on the red carpet before the start of the 2018 NFL Draft last Thursday. The former Texas left tackle heard his name called in the second round when he was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 50th overall pick.
Home sweet home: Williams returns to Big D, this time as a Dallas Cowboy By Keshav Prathivadi & Alex Briseno @kpthefirst @ alexxbriseno
A
RLINGTON, Texas — All eyes shifted to Connor Williams hours before the 2018 NFL Draft commenced as the former Longhorn left tackle stepped onto the red carpet along with 21 other first-round prospects. But not all 22 players who made their red carpet appearance were selected on the first night. As AT&T Stadium cleared at the conclusion of a star-studded first round, the green room where the 22 anxious first-round prospects once presided still had four names on the board — Williams was one of them. By Friday night, he was just one of the two remaining prospects who made an appearance on the red carpet as he patiently waited to hear his name called from the green room backstage. Midway through the second round, Williams received a phone call. It was the owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, calling to congratulate and welcome Williams to the Cowboys’ organization. “Being from Dallas, my phone starts with 972, so when I got the call I knew who was calling,” Williams said. “It’s a dream come true. I’m a Dallas Cowboy. That’s a shock to say right there.” Nothing but raw emotion followed. The
6-foot-6, 297-pound left tackle immediately dropped to one knee, burying his face into his hands as Jones and Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett congratulated him on the other end of the phone. Williams was selected with the No. 50 overall pick in the draft, becoming only the third Texas player to be drafted by the Cowboys in franchise history. With his selection, the Coppell, Texas, native’s career will begin not only where he played his final high school game with Coppell High School, but also just 20 miles away from his hometown. “(My parents have) been thinking about packing up and maybe get to the town I play in a couple of years,” Williams said. “But they don’t have to anymore. We’re gonna save a lot of money on plane tickets.” Despite being able to experience the joy of getting drafted like the other prospects he walked in with, he had to watch all but one of them walk past him as every name was called. While this could have been discouraging to most, Williams saw it in a different light. “I was tearing up (on Thursday) and it wasn’t tearing up because I was sad or disappointed,” Williams said. “I was so proud of them and happy for (the players) and their lives were changing every second. It was an amazing thing to watch.” Williams admitted that he waited longer than he would have liked, but that it all
worked out and it’s only lit a fire in him moving forward. Throughout all of the post-draft press conferences and interviews, “amazing” was one word Williams couldn’t help but use constantly. Whether it be the spectacle of the NFL Draft or getting the opportunity to play so close to home, for Williams, there was no hiding the excitement. “It’s the Dallas Cowboys. It’s America’s team,” Williams said. “I live 20 minutes down the road. It’s home … It’s a dream. I’ve got to pinch myself. I don’t know when it’s gonna set in.” For Williams, now it’s time to get to work. Williams will join one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, headed by the likes of Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and Travis Frederick. With these top-tier offensive linemen in tow, Williams’ position on the front is still uncertain. Williams played the left tackle position during his time at Texas, but the Cowboys’ depth could potentially put him at the guard position. “I was fortunate enough to work with the Cowboys at the local day,” Williams said. “Being able to work with Coach, we worked through guard and tackle positions. It’s not really clear, but walking The Star tomorrow, it doesn’t matter where I am. I’m going to play wherever he wants me to play.” During the 2016 season, Williams started at left tackle and helped former Doak Walker Award winner D’Onta Foreman become the
nation’s leading rusher. Williams’ efforts didn’t go unnoticed as the former Longhorn became just the fourth sophomore in school history to be named a first team All-American in 2016. Jones saw this and more from Williams’ tape, and also saw him as someone who could help address the Cowboys’ issues from last season. A 27-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, a game in which the Cowboys ceded eight sacks, was one of Jones’ biggest motivators for the Williams pick. For Jones and the Cowboys, this was the perfect time to take him. “The Connor Williams pick was a real classic here,” Jones said. “We decided to frankly cure what happened in Atlanta as best as we could.” There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Williams’ arrival in Dallas. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott immediately took to Twitter after the selection, excited by the opportunity to get his rushing title back behind the All-American and his offensive line. But for Williams, the Cowboys provide him much more than just the opportunity to return home — they also give him a clean slate. “It’s been a ride. It’s been a journey, and I’m so, so glad that the new chapter is beginning now because it’s not about what I did in high school,” Williams said. “It’s not about what I did in college. It’s about the work that starts today.”
BASEBALL
Hamilton embraces new role as Longhorns prepare to take on Texas State By Shane Lewis @dastatsman
At 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, sophomore David Hamilton is a bit undersized compared to your traditional five-hole hitter. But since being moved to that spot in the batting order, Hamilton has come up big. The infielder started the year as the Longhorns’ lead-off hitter, but after missing time due to an injury, Hamilton was moved down in the lineup. For a player who had no home runs coming into the season, the change from lead-off man to clean-up hitter was a big one. But over the past four games, Hamilton has amassed a teamhigh five RBIs. Hamilton drove in six runs against the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley on
April 17, setting Texas’ season high for RBIs. The recent performances of the usually soft-spoken Hamilton have drawn the praise of Texas head coach David Pierce. “I like him in the five-hole, and I like him hitting behind Zach (Zubia),” Pierce said. “David is about as cool as they come. He doesn’t talk much, but he carries a big stick.” The emergence of Hamilton gives the Longhorns an offensively potent infield — one that already includes junior Kody Clemens and his staggering 49 RBIs. Clemens has offered similar praise for Hamilton and the call to move him down in the lineup. “I love it,” Clemens said. “(Hamilton) always has these spurts where he goes ‘0-for’ and then, what do you know, he’s 3-3
katie bauer | the daily texan staff David Hamilton gathers before taking a swing. The sophomore has been explosive as of late, totaling five RBIs in the past four games. or 4-4. He’s good.” While Hamilton has started to thrive in his new role as an RBI man, he’s also retained the skill set that made him an
effective leadoff hitter. The sophomore ranks seventh in the country with 26 stolen bases, just four less than the rest of the Longhorn roster combined.
Junior infielder Masen Hibbeler, considered one of the faster players on the Texas roster, ranks second on the team with 10 steals. Still, the infielder can’t help but feel envious of the speed Hamilton brings to the table. “I wish I was as fast as D-Ham,” Hibbeler said. “He’s an automatic stolen bag if he gets on first. He’s just lightning fast — he’s just crazy fast.” Hamilton now prepares for a matchup against his hometown university as the Longhorns (30–17, 12–6) square up against San Marcos’ Texas State ( 22–21–1) on Tuesday for the second time this season. In the first meeting, Hamilton hit his first collegiate home run in a 6-1 victory. The Bobcats have been struggling as of late. The team is
4–6 over its last 10 games, and is only 1–5 in its last six series. Although Texas State comes into the matchup with a middling record, Texas knows it’s not a team to take lightly. “They beat us (in San Marcos) last year, and they’re a scrappy team,” Hamilton said. “We know they’re a team we can’t take it easy on.” The Longhorns also are in the midst of a dry spell. This past weekend, Texas lost its first conference series against West Virginia since falling to Kansas State in March. The burnt orange surrendered 22 runs over the weekend, the second most they’ve allowed in a three-game series this year. First pitch for the game against the Bobcats is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Tuesday night.
7
TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018
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CHARLES LIU & CHRIS DUNCAN
LIFE&ARTS EDITORS @THEDAILYTEXAN
TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018
CAMPUS
New parents face wait for on-campus daycare Parents can sit on waitlists up to three years long for University daycare. By Julia Jones @gubrooke
Y
ou might think getting to your 8 a.m. class is difficult, but it gets a lot harder when you’ve been kept up all night by a crying infant. Many student parents have to manage raising a child, holding a job to support that child and finishing their education, and daycares around campus are already operating at full capacity. There is up to a three-year waitlist to enroll newborn children and a one-year waitlist to enroll older children at UT’s Child Development Center. The center has three locations around campus — Comal, San Jacinto and Lavaca — and offers their program to children aged six weeks to five years old. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Hara Cootes, the program director at the center, said she recommends parents sign up on the waiting list the moment they find out they are expecting. “If you got on the waiting list for a three-year-old right now, I’d have a place for you starting this summer,” Cootes said. “If you get on the waiting list while
mel westfall | the daily texan staff you’re pregnant, it could take up to three years.” Cootes said about one-fourth of the parents at the center are students, with the rest being faculty and staff of the University. The center uses a sliding scale model for the price of childcare so that lower income students still have the opportunity to enroll their kids.
Education senior Jessica Cantu said the most difficult part of raising her now fouryear-old daughter was finding a place for her to stay while she was in class. She was on the UT Child Development Center’s waitlist for a year and a half, and once her daughter was admitted, life became a lot easier for her.
“I was a single parent at the time, and so trying to maintain my grades while raising her and working — balancing it the whole day was quite the adventure, to say the least,” Cantu said. “Having a daycare where I could bring my daughter to school with me was very helpful.” For parents stuck on the
waitlist, Cootes said she often recommends the Early Childhood Center at University United Methodist Church, which she said has a good reputation in the community. This center has its own waitlist of over a year for infants and anywhere from six months to a year for older children. Madelynn Fierova-Martinez,
the director of the ECC, said while being affiliated with a religion might keep some parents from enrolling their children, the amount of religious teaching they do is very limited. She said it also tries to keep its services affordable, and it does so by having the parents work as classroom aides one day a month. Cootes said she also gives parents on the waitlist tips on how to find a quality certified daycare nearer to their homes, but the value of the childcare centers near campus is their proximity. Cantu said UT’s center is special because of its low teacher-to-student ratio and ability to implement the research done at the University to continually better their care. “Being a daycare on the UT campus means they’re getting this leading research while being able to implement it firsthand,” Cootes said. Cantu said that while the waitlist was inconvenient, once she got her daughter into the program, she was very impressed with the personal care she and her daughter received. There’s never a day that I walk in the door that (the directors) don’t say hello,” Cantu said. “They always are very on top of saying hi and saying my name and asking about my future. I don’t feel like it’s just dropping my kid off and dumping the money.”
HEALTH
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nikita sveshnikov | the daily texan staff Students facing difficulty in their recovery from eating disorders can find hope in loving themselves again.
Long-term effects make eating disorder recovery difficult By Christa McWhirter @chrismac1193
Seeking treatment for an eating disorder is not easy, but recovery can be even more difficult for some due to the lasting physical and emotional damages it can cause. According to a study conducted by the Eating Recovery Center, 80 percent of those who seek treatment are able to achieve full remission. However, physical damage to someone’s body caused by binge eating disorder, bulimia, anorexia and other eating disorders can make emotional recovery even harder for the 20 percent who don’t experience full physical remission. “Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder, but most people go undiagnosed,” said Dr. Bobby Nix, the director of UT Physicians Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic. By going undiagnosed, Nix said, students may run the risk of altering their body’s set point weight and slowing their metabolism permanently. “As you try to lose weight, your body’s metabolism actually slows down so you don’t go below your new set point weight,” Nix said. For those who are overweight due to binge eating disorder and are trying to lose weight, this can be extremely disheartening. But Nix said proper exercise and a dietary lifestyle change can help improve thyroid production and therefore increase metabolism over time. Other eating disorders such as anorexia, characterized by deliberate starvation, and bulimia, characterized by purging of calories, can have lasting
The kind of person you are, the kind of friend you are, your values, finding an occupation that you love, hobbies that you enjoy, things that light you up internally, those things are truly important.” Dr. Allison Chase,
eating recovery center of austin
effects that may lead to difficulty during the recovery process as well. While most people associate bulimia with vomiting, laxatives are also a common way that students choose to purge. Nix warned that laxative purging can traumatize the digestive tract and could lead to lifelong medication to assist with bowel movements. As for purging by vomiting, Jennifer Barnoud, a registered dietitian for the University Health Services at UT, said it can cause acid reflux that may or may not be reversible. “That can be challenging for someone with a history of purging to not be able to keep food down when they finally want to,” Barnoud said. “It adds another layer to have to work through from an emotional level.” Dr. Allison Chase, regional managing clinical director of Eating Recovery Center in Austin, said anorexia can cause damage to the digestive system as well as the skeletal system. “If you’ve been starving yourself long enough to where you are no longer having a period and producing estrogen, you will end up with osteoporosis,” Chase said. “And osteoporosis is not reversible.”
Chase said that for women, messing with the endocrine system can affect the body’s ability to have normal cycles and can even decrease the chances of conceiving later in life. While there are many damages eating disorders can cause the body, Chase said that the most common long-lasting side effect is the emotional trauma that eating disorders are born from. “The body image part and the anxiety-depression piece that runs hand in hand with eating disorders, they take the longest to work through,” Chase said. “It’s not a miracle recovery all of a sudden, and you’re not experiencing that anxiety anymore or feeling what’s happening.” By focusing on characteristics other than physical appearance, Chase said that students are able to love themselves again and take charge of their recovery. “The kind of person you are, the kind of friend you are, your values, finding an occupation that you love, hobbies that you enjoy, things that light you up internally,” Chase said. “Those things are truly important. They make you realize that you are not that outside being, you are someone inside.”
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